The Chicago Bears had a total of 19 players on injured reserve for a variety of reasons last season. Eleven of them were stashed on the list at the start of the season and two came off when they were eligible. Those two were Pernell McPhee and Marquess Wilson. Wilson went right back on injured reserve four weeks later.
Chicago ended the season with an additional ten players on injured reserve for that total of 19. Some of them were their biggest stars, including guard Kyle Long, quarterback Jay Cutler and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. It takes a lot out of a team when they lose their big name players for the season.
But there are other numbers, when it comes to the Bears injuries that should be looked into further. According to Pro Football Reference the Bears reported players as questionable 98 times, players as doubtful 26 times and reported players as being out nine times. That adds up to a whopping 239 reports of players with some degree of injury. All of this in one single season.
Of the Bears players that were placed on injured reserve, a total of 12 of those players were regular starters. The remaining guys were backups who were needed to fill in with those starters out. The Bears couldn’t gain any traction because as soon as a starter went out and the backup went in, the backup was injured.
Another number to look at is how many players, overall, missed time with injuries during the season. A total of 35 players missed at least one game this year due to injuries (including all the players on injured reserve). 35 players! It’s hard for a team to overcome that many injuries and continue to play well. The Bears weren’t able to do it and sunk to 3-13.
The injuries that the Bears suffered varied widely. There were concussions, high ankle sprains, knee and hand issues among other things. Some of the injuries they suffered could not be avoided but others could have possibly been lessened by the training staff. We will have more on that later.
Next, we will take a look at how the training and medical staffs of the Bears can influence injuries and recovery time.